The Honda Insight is a hybrid electric vehicle that is manufactured and marketed by Honda. Its first generation was a two-door, two passenger liftback (1999–2006) and in its second generation was a four-door, five passenger liftback (2009–2014). In its third generation, it became a four-door sedan (2018–2022). It was Honda's first model with Integrated Motor Assist system and the most fuel efficient gasoline-powered car available in the U.S. without plug-in capability — for the length of its production run.
The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company since the 2001 model year. The first Ford SUV derived from a car platform, the Escape fell below the Ford Explorer in size; the Escape is currently sized between the Ford EcoSport and Ford Edge. The 2004 Ford Escape Hybrid was the first hybrid-electric vehicle from Ford, and the first hybrid produced as an SUV.
The GM High Feature engine is a family of modern DOHC V6 engines produced by General Motors. The series was introduced in 2004 with the Cadillac CTS and the Holden Commodore (VZ).
The High Value engine family from General Motors is a group of cam-in-block or overhead valve V6 engines. These engines feature cast iron blocks and aluminum heads, and use the same 60° vee bank as the 60° V6 family they are based on, but the new 99 mm (3.90 in) bore required offsetting the bores by 1.5 mm (0.059 in) away from the engine center line. These engines are the first cam-in-block engines to implement variable valve timing, and won the 2006 Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics for this innovation. For the 2007 model year, the 3900 engine featured optional displacement on demand or "Active Fuel Management" which deactivates a bank of cylinders under light load to increase highway fuel economy. It was rumored that GM would produce a 3-valve design, but that never came to be. These engines were produced primarily at the GM factory in Tonawanda, New York, and at the Ramos Arizpe engine plant in Mexico. The assembly line for this engine was manufactured by Hirata Corporation at its powertrain facility in Kumamoto, Japan.
The Chevrolet Equinox is a crossover SUV introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. It was intended to be a replacement for the North American Chevrolet Tracker and Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. The third-generation Equinox also replaced the first-generation Chevrolet Captiva.
Theta is General Motors' automobile platform for compact/mid-size crossover SUVs. The architecture debuted in 2002 with the Saturn Vue and was later used for the Chevrolet Equinox and Captiva and similar models.
The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from model years 1964–1983 and since 1997. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-wheel drive intermediate, GM revived the Malibu nameplate as a front-wheel-drive car in 1997.
The Honda Pilot is a mid-size crossover SUV with three-row seating manufactured by Honda since 2002. Primarily aimed at the North American market, the Pilot is the largest SUV produced by Honda. Pilots are currently manufactured in Lincoln, Alabama, and the Pilot was produced in Alliston, Ontario until April 2007. The first generation Pilot was released in April 2002 as a 2003 model.
The Isuzu MU is a mid-size SUV which was produced by Japan-based manufacturer Isuzu from 1989 to 2004.
The Chevrolet HHR is a retro-styled, high-roofed, five-door, five-passenger, front-wheel drive wagon designed by Bryan Nesbitt and launched by the American automaker Chevrolet at the 2005 Los Angeles Auto Show as a 2006 model.
The Saturn Aura is a four-door, five-passenger front engine/front-wheel drive mid-sized sedan manufactured and marketed by GM's Saturn subsidiary over a single generation from 2006 to 2009. The car launched one year before the seventh generation Chevrolet Malibu, its most closely related platform companion.
The Chevrolet Captiva is a compact crossover SUV marketed by General Motors. The first generation was developed by GM Korea, based on the GM Theta platform and derived from the S3X concept car revealed in 2004. Released in 2006, it was sold internationally as Chevrolet Captiva, in Australia and New Zealand as Holden Captiva and in South Korea as Daewoo Winstorm until 2011, when the international name was adopted. The vehicle shares much its underpinnings with the similarly-styled Opel/Vauxhall Antara / second-generation Saturn Vue, with the Captiva offering optional third-row seating.
The Opel Antara is a compact crossover SUV which was marketed by Opel from 2006 to 2015. Based on the Theta platform, the Antara closely shared its underpinnings and powertrains with the Chevrolet Captiva. However, it only offered five seats instead of seven, and features a different exterior and interior design. Sales commenced in November 2006, as the indirect successor to the Isuzu-based Frontera range.
The Ford Fusion is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. From the 2006 through 2020 model years, two generations of the Fusion have been produced in gasoline, gas/electric hybrid, and gas/plug-in electric hybrid variants. The Fusion was manufactured at Ford's Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly plant in Sonora, Mexico, alongside the Lincoln MKZ, and formerly the Mercury Milan, both of which share its CD3 platform.
BAS is a category of automotive parallel hybrid technology that uses an electric motor to contribute power to the internal combustion engine's crankshaft via a serpentine belt. By mounting this motor generator unit in the conventional location traditionally used for the standard automotive alternator, it permits a low-cost method of adding mild hybrid capabilities such as start-stop, power assist, and mild levels of regenerative braking. BAS systems differ from other mild hybrid systems as they are not run off the vehicle's crankshaft.
The 4T40-E and 4T45-E are a series of automatic transaxles from General Motors. Designed for transverse engine configurations, the series includes 4 forward gears. The 4Txx family replaced the Turbo-Hydramatic 125 transverse three speed automatic introduced in 1980.
The Honda CR-Z is a sport compact hybrid electric car manufactured by Honda and marketed as a "sport hybrid coupe." The CR-Z combines a hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain with traditional sports car elements, including a 2+2 seating arrangement and a standard 6-speed manual transmission. The CR-Z is regarded as the spiritual successor to the second-generation Honda CR-X in both name and exterior design.
The eighth-generation Honda Civic is a range of compact cars (C-segment) manufactured by Honda between 2005 and 2012, replacing the seventh-generation Civic. Four body styles were introduced throughout its production run, which are sedan, coupe, and both three-door and five-door hatchback. The sedan version was introduced with two distinct styling for different markets, with one of them sold as the Acura CSX in Canada and as the Ciimo 1.8 in China from 2012 until 2016. The hatchback versions formed the European-market Civic range, which received a different architecture, body design and smaller footprint, and solely produced in Swindon, United Kingdom.
In the U.S., the seventh generation North American Honda Accord is a mid-size car that was available as a four-door sedan or a two-door coupe and was produced by Honda from September 2002 to 2007. The sedan was also marketed in parts of Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand markets, and also known as the Honda Inspire in Japan from 2003. The North American Honda Accord, with modifications for local market needs, was the launch vehicle of Honda in the South Korean market with sales beginning from May 20, 2004.
The ninth generation Accord is a mid-size car introduced by Honda in 2012 which received a refreshed front fascia, grille, headlights, tail lights and alloy wheel designs for the 2016 model year. With the discontinuation of the smaller European and Japanese market Accord in 2015, the larger North American Accord became the only version in production, with the Hybrid version taking over as the flagship of Honda's automotive product in many markets that once received the smaller Accord.
